Cosplay Interview: Poison Sugar Cosplay

I have a huge love for every aspect of cosplay from the concept stage to the final convention day when they get to show off their fresh costumes to the world. I had the idea to reach out to my favorite cosplayers and interview them to get a better understanding of who they are as a person and why they love cosplay. It went wonderful and our readers loved reading their answers to our humble questions. However, I noticed that there was a vast sea of indie cosplayers who no one ever bothered to check out, yet these same indie cosplayers made fantastic cosplays! So I took it upon myself to hunt down as many indie cosplayers as I could and interview them for the enjoyment of our readers and the promotion for these wonderful cosplayers!

The Geek Lyfe: Although I am a fan of yours, there may be a few readers who have not seen your work before, would you be alright introducing yourself?

Poison Sugar Cosplay: Of course! I’m Diana, also known as Poison Sugar Cosplay or just Poison Sugar. I’ve been cosplaying and volunteering for about 10 years now. I’ve also been a guest at many local conventions here and in New Mexico. Some people may also know me from my Independent lolita clothing brand “Poison Sugar.”

TGL: Could you tell us how you got into cosplay and what led you to where you are now?

PSC: I originally fell in love with lolita fashion over 10 years ago- this was way before you could really get any of it online and before decent shopping services. I decided to teach myself to sew so I could make my own Lolita dresses. After a friend convinced us to go to a con, I saw all the cosplayers and I really wanted to also cosplay. I didn’t really even knew it existed before that. When I commit to something, I see it through! I spent the next 10 years sewing as much as I could to get better and better and it’s one of the most fulfilling things that I do now. Sewing and cosplay is the best way for me to relax and deal with life stress.

TGL: When you aren’t doing awesome cosplays, what do you do?

PSC: I have a fulltime job outside of cosplay as an elementary school teacher. It’s really fun, and sometimes I bring in hats or props to use in the classroom so I can share my hobby with my students. I also teach art classes to children on Saturdays as well as a lot of organizing and volunteering. I’ve been Merida for children’s events and I also run and schedule the cosplay panels for Saboten Con. When I’m not doing those things, I’m at home with my 15 year old son and my husband, a photographer. People are generally amazed at my time management skills, but I just keep a pretty tight schedule around con season.

TGL: What geek medium (Video Games, Cosplay, books, movies etc.) would you say has impacted the most and why?

PSC: Anime has pretty much changed my life, not only through cosplay, but just making me happier in general. I keep up with new shows and being able to laugh and identify with the characters more than most American shows makes such a difference. I feel like anime shows so many different sides of life, from office jobs to high school to love stories to sports. It has everything! I can connect with those characters even more when I cosplay

TGL: What has been your favorite moment in your cosplay career?

PSC: I think winning Best in Show at Saboten last year is my favorite moment so far. And it wasn’t winning that was really the best part, (I mean that was AWESOME) but it was the crowd’s response. They were yelling so loud I couldn’t hear my audio! And afterwards so many people came up to me amazed and praising me. It was the best moment, and I felt so proud of all my hard work. I’ve been competing for many years, but that moment will forever be in my memory.

TGL: What was one major conflict you have faced or do face and how did you resolve it?

PSC: I love to compete. I love getting to talk to everyone back stage and learn how they made their costumes, make new friends and share in each other’s fears. It’s a great moment. Afterwards though, there is always a lot of talk about how I only win because I know the judges. I think when you are in the cosplay scene long enough, especially when you are a guest, you meet a lot of cosplayers. I always get much more nervous when I am getting judged by my friends though, because they will always know when I cut corners! They can really judge your ability level. It hurts when people think I’ve been given an award because of a friendship. I work very hard, just like everyone else. I’ve dealt with it by just not being vindictive, I focus on all the positive comments and friends I have. There are so many people who will tear you down to feel better about themselves, and I don’t need that in my life. So I only surround myself with the positive cosplayers.

TGL: You’re stuck having to fend off an alien invasion with either Lex Luthor or the Joker, who do you pick and why?

PSC: Definitely the Joker because even if you lose, at least you had a good laugh!

TGL: Do you have any projects in the near future that we’d be excited to see?

PSC: Yes, I am currently working on some very geeky costumes for a short film! I can’t wait to share it with everyone when it’s released. I also have some great original costumes coming up and of course, a new Rarity cosplay.

TGL: What advice do you have for any aspiring cosplayers out there?

PSC: Don’t be afraid. It’s ok to be new and it’s ok to buy your costumes and it’s ok to still be learning. We can’t all be experts all the time. Make some good friends and cosplay and have fun. Sometimes we forget that cosplay is something we enjoy (usually at midnight when our 5th needle breaks and we’re ready to light something on fire) but it should be fun. Always remember why you cosplay, whatever your reason is.

A huge thank you to Poison Sugar Cosplay for taking the time to interview with us! She was such a delight to work with and I hope to see her at future conventions! You should definitely follow her on instagram at dokusatohime and follow her on Facebook! All photos are by viciouswargoose!

Darth Mexican has been a geek since he first saw a lightsaber ignite. He has strong feelings on subbed anime. He strives to represent the stories of the common man and woman regardless of skin tone, age, sexual preference, or nationality. With every article he strives to bring representation to the voiceless.Unless he finds out they like dubbed anime.

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We are the Geek Lyfe, and we’re a group of geeks based in Phoenix, Arizona, who are incredibly passionate about our interests. We find news, write out our opinions, give lists of geeky facts, interview our favorite cosplayers, authors, artists, and more. Our main goal is to provide entertaining content that includes our fan base as a whole, and equally represents all of us geeks. From anime lovers to Dungeons & Dragons players, we’re going to have something you’ll be interested in!

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